Synthesis and Application of Colorimetric and Fluorescent Dual Mode Probe for Detection of Mercury Ion

To detect the level of mercury ions (Hg2+) in the environment and organism, a colorimetric and fluorescent dual mode probe employing resorufin as fluorophore and benzene thiocarate as reactive group was prepared through one-step organic synthesis. The exact structure of the probe was confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The probe displayed high selectivity and sensitivity to Hg2+ in PBS buffer, and the detection limit was estimated to be 17 nmol/L (3 sigma). The color of the solution changed from light yellow to aubergine. The probe could quantitatively detect Hg2+ in actual water samples. The cytotoxicity of the probe was verified by cell counting kit -8 (CCK-8) method, and it was found that the cell survival rate was higher than 90% when the concentration of the probe was below 10 mu mol/L. The results of cell imaging experiments showed that the probe had good cell permeability and could be used for imaging Hg2+ in living cells.